Refrigerator door



w. F. DART REFRIGERATOR DOOR Aug. 18, 1936.

Filed March a, 1934 2 sheets-Sheet 1 'all Aug. 18, 1936. w. F. DART 2,051,132

` REFRIGERATOR DOOR v l Filed March 8, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f INVENTOR Wz mr@ wrm gvj ATroRN EY Patented Aug.'v1s;1936

" UNITED ls'rzrrlezs,

2,051,132 nnFliIGEnA'ron noon William F. Dart, Mason, Mich., assignor to The Crosley Radio Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application March s, 1934, serial No. '114,111 `4 claims. (CL sz-ss) 5 erator to be fully opened when desiring to remove or replace articles from the food compartment or permit exposure ofthe ice cube chamber when desiring to obtain Aice so that atmospheric temperatures will not readily enter. the food compartment and unnecessarily raise the temperature therein, consequently permitting the refrigerator to be more economicallyoperated` and the temperature within the refrigerator more evenly maintained, assuring a better preserving of food products over a longer period of time.-

Another .object of the invention -is the provision of inner and cuter doors mounted for simultaneous opening and closing of the refrigerator andcapable of being operated, so thatthe inner door may remain closed for the closing of the food compartment during the opening of the outerr door to give admittance to the ice cube chamber.

A further object of the invention is the provision of theouter'door of the chambered construction to receive an article rack supported by the inner door and which rack becomes fully exposed on the opening .of the outer door while the inner door ac ts to close the food compartment of the refrigerator. 9' Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a refrigerator equipped with a .door construction constructed in accordance with my invention. f.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view showing the inner and outer doors latched together and occupying door-closing position. Figure 3 is a similar view showing the inner and 40 outer doors moved simultaneously to an ,open

position for exposing the interior of the refrigy erator.

Figfure 4 is a similar view showing the outer door occupying an open position while the inner door occupies a closedposition and exposingthe rack of. the inner door so that articles may bel readily placed in and removed therefrom.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional View showing the means of latching therinner and outer doors together and also a spring catch for-aiding in maintaining the inner door in a closed position when the outer door is released therefrom and swung to an open position.

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 'l is'a disrupted view showing one of the hinges. l

Figure 8 is a. fragmentary view showing the latch for securing the outer door in closed position and the finger piece of the latch employed 5 for securing the' inner and outer doors together.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view showing one ofv the hinges.

' Referring in `detail to the drawings, the numeral I indicates a. conventional type of refrig- 10 erator wherein the cooling unit is'shown at 2 and is of the type to freeze ice cubes or blocks, the remaining interior ofthe refrigerator .being employed for the storage of food products andthe like. Heretofore when obtaining ice from the 15 freezing or cooling unit it was necessary to exposethe entire interior of the refrigerator to atmospheric temperatures, causing van unnecessary raising of the temperature of the refrigerator and increasing the costof operation and 20 maintenance, and to overcome these disadvantages my invention is employed land is in the form of a closure hingedly mounted to threfrigerator and includes inner and outer doors 2' and 3 both supported to the refrigerator I by 25 hinges 4 capable of permitting the doors to swing simultaneously or one independent of the other. The inner door 2' is shaped so that when in closed position. it will expose a freezing or cooling unit 2 while the food compartment is closed 30 to the atmosphere.. The outer door 3 is of. the

chambered or flanged construction forming upon the interior face thereof a chamber or space 5 to receive a rack 6 supported by the outer face of the inner door when said doors engage with each 35 other or when latched together which will be hereinafter more fully described. 'Ihe rack 6 may be employed for various articles not needing very low temperatures for their preservation and when the outer door`3 is opened independently 40 of the inner door,`the rack 6 becomes fully exposed so that articles may be readily placed in and removed therefrom.

A spring catch 'l -is carried by the refrigerator to engage with the inner door for aiding in retaining the latter in a. closed position when the outer door is swung open. The catch 1 is of a conventional type, that is employing a spring pressed ball engageable with a notch or socket formed in the inner door.`

The outer door is equipped with a conventional. type of latch 8 to engage with ay keeper 9 -on the refrigerator I for retaining the outer door in a closed position and is operable by 'a handle I0 55 when desiring to free the outer d'oor for. movement into an open position. A

A keeper Il is carried by the outer face' of the inner door and enters the chamber '5 when the inner and outer doors are in abutting lengagementand is engaged by a latch I2 carried by the outer door where said doors will be fastened together. The latch consists of a member I3 journaled in a bracket Il carried by the outer door and has formed upon its inner end an angularly disposed projection or arm I5 to engage with the keeper II. Slidably mounted in the outer wall of the outer door is a tubular iinger piece I6 which slidably receives the member I3 and the latter is provided with spiral grooves II engaged by a lug I8 formed on the finger piece I6 whereby endwise movement ofthe iinger piece vwill impart rotation to the member I3. A coil spring I9 is interposed between the bracket I l and the inner end of the iingerp'iecel I6 for normally urging the latter in one direction or in a direction to cause rotation of the member I3 for positioning the arm I 5 in engagement with the keeper I I.

A manual movement of the finger piece in an opposite direction causes reverse rotation of the member I3 to disengage the arm I5 from the keeper Il. It is preferable that the finger piece I6 be located in close proximity to the handle I0 of the latch 8 so that a person operating the handle I0 to free the outer door may "also operate the latch I2 to free said outer door from the inner door, permitting the rlatter to remain in closed position. `When desiring -to open` both doors simultaneously the operator simply releases the outer door by actuating the handle In to release the latch 8 from the keeper 9 and both doors.

may then be swung simultaneously to an open position.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a' refrigerator having a cooling unit and a food compartment, inner and outer'doors for sai refrigerator, hinges connecting said doors to the refrigerator, a latch between the outer door and the refrigerator, a latch between the inner and outer doors and operable from the exterior ofthe outer door, and said'in- Y ner door having a cut away portion to expose the cooling unit when said inner door is in a position to close the food compartment.

2. In combination with -a refrigerator having a cooling unit and a food compartment, inner and outer doors for said refrigerator, hinges connecting said doors to the refrigerator, a latch be-V tween the outer door and the refrigerator, a latch 10 between the inner andvouter doors and operabley from the exterior of the outer door, said inner door havingy a cut away portion to expose the coolmg unit. when said inner door is in a position to close the food compartment, said outer door 15 having a chamber, and a rack carried by the inner door and received within Vthe chamber.

3. A device of the characterset forth comprising inner and outer 'doors mounted for swinging movement, a latch for the outer door, a bracket 20 carried byl the outer door, a member rotatably supported by the bracket, a keeper carried by the inner door, an arm on said member to engage with the keeper, a finger piece slidably mounted to the outer door and receiving said member, a 25 spiral drive between said finger piece and the member for imparting rotation to the latter, and a spring between the bracket and the finger vpiece. I

4; In combination with a refrigerator having 30l a cooling unit and a food compartment, inner and outer doors for said refrigerator, hinges connecting said doors to the refrigerator, a latch beated air from the cooling unit to said rack of shelves. y

. 4WILLIAM F. DART. 

